Live and Learn - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

12-16-2003, 11:01 PM

I've never been caught by this stunt before.
An intersection I negotiate daily is a bit weird in that it's off-set
by about 50m (~150'). The east-west residential street forms two
tee-intersections with the six lane major north-south cross street.
(67th & Granville to locals)

Westbound there's a stop sign. There's a stop sign and signalled
pedestrian crosswalk further south at the east bound junction. With a
liquor store, supermarket and several small shops with parking lots
off the back-lane, it's a busy location that goes nuts at rush hour

Going west usually involves waiting for the ped light to stop the
north-south traffic and negotiating with south bound drivers piddling
to the stop. That requires paying very close attention to what's
eastbound and which way they're turning because you're hanging your
butt out in a bad spot if they're turning left. Bad-bad if there's
southbound buses stopping at the light.

I was westbound last night and there was left turning eastbound
traffic waiting for a pedestrian. I'm out crossing the north bound
lanes signalling to the south bound car that would be about fifth in
line at the light that I was crossing in front of them to the next
south bound lane. I was checking the timing of the pedestrians holding
the turning cars when I was surprised by a pair of headlights coming
on a collision course. The second-in-line southbound car, that had
been stopped at the light, suddenly decided to make a U-turn. I'm glad
he hit the brakes and straightened it out when he did because there
was no place for me to go except into the side of the moving SUV I'd
planned to go behind.

Other anticipated quirks at this corner are cars leaving a parking lot
that's between the ped-xing and the corner. Gotta watch for southbound
cars turning left into that parking lot or onto the street I'm trying
to exit. I've danced with 'em using the northbound lanes to pull that
stunt. Bad-bad sight lines if there's a bus at its stop.

Of course, the folksy way to cross is to go on the sidewalk to the
pedestrian signal. Other than that, I don't know how to avoid what
almost happened last night.

(fixed pitch font - not to scale)

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zk

12-17-2003, 09:55 PM

>I've never been caught by this stunt before.

>nice ASCII snipped<

I don't have time to do the aerial photography.

Or do this justice. But it sounds to me as though this is a mid
block mixed modality merge informal intersection.

Get your ass onto the light controlled road to the left of the
driveway and forget turning at the stop sign on the convenient
crossroad.

That looks like a pretty wobbly mid block cross traffic left to
me, Zoot.

I've learned the hard way to stay out of that kind of situation.

Or apparently not.

--

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12-17-2003, 10:38 PM

Thu, 18 Dec 2003 00:55:34 -0500, <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
"Eric S. Sande" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>Get your ass onto the light controlled road to the left of the
>driveway and forget turning at the stop sign on the convenient
>crossroad.
>
>That looks like a pretty wobbly mid block cross traffic left to
>me, Zoot.

It's a sucky set-up. My favourite is when an idiot asswipe pulls up to
the stop sign on my right and then also tries making the left turn.

Cutting through the parking lot to get to the sidewalk and closer to
the ped-xing is a counter-flow maneuver which is why cars turning out
that driveway can be a surprise.
--
zk

12-18-2003, 04:35 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
Zoot Katz <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:

> The second-in-line southbound car, that had
> been stopped at the light, suddenly decided to make a U-turn.

I wonder if this driver has ever complained of the
"unpredictableness" of cyclists.

I've seen unmarked police cars suddenly snap U-turns
(in response to emergency calls, I guess), but they
generally put the cherry on while they're at it. And
I like to believe they're well-trained to look out for
other traffic when doing that.

> Other than that, I don't know how to avoid what
> almost happened last night.

Maybe if the north crosswalk and stop line were advanced
so the entire intersection is bracketed? The way it is
now, is tantamount to the north crosswalk running down the
centre of 67th Avenue instead of at its northernmost curb,
where, it could be argued, it belongs.

I've been backed-down by this intersection myself (my
instincts just didn't like how it looked at those times),
and opted to instead turn down French or Cartier to 70th,
and cross Granville there. But it's a hassle, and sort of
a capitulation, to have to detour. If you've been expecting
somebody to mention 70th sooner or later, there it is,
FWIisn'tW.

Anyhow, I share your dislike for skewed intersections.
Main & 28th is another ugly one. I guess skewed
intersections are a legacy of patchwork urban development
that we just have to live with, and maybe prod the City to
apply band-aid solutions to them.

cheers,
Tom

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12-19-2003, 01:27 AM

Thu, 18 Dec 2003 16:35:33 -0800, <l4htrb.sja.ln@bud.garden.local>,
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (Tom Keats) wrote:
> Zoot Katz <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:
>
>> The second-in-line southbound car, that had
>> been stopped at the light, suddenly decided to make a U-turn.
>
>I wonder if this driver has ever complained of the
>"unpredictableness" of cyclists.

It's the first time I've seen it there in three years.

>I've seen unmarked police cars suddenly snap U-turns
>(in response to emergency calls, I guess), but they
>generally put the cherry on while they're at it. And
>I like to believe they're well-trained to look out for
>other traffic when doing that.

hehehe, I gobbed an unmarked cop car on that same stretch of road.

I'd just made a left off 67th heading north on Granville when a
northbound car that must have been stopped behind others waiting for
the ped-light, accelerated out of line and came screaming up fast on
my left. I launched the gob of gum without looking and then saw a cop!
watch it land just short of the front fender as they drove by. I think
he'd just finished putting up the cherry because the window was still
open.

I wasted a fresh piece of gum but it was worth the look on his face.
\snip

>I've been backed-down by this intersection myself (my
>instincts just didn't like how it looked at those times),
>and opted to instead turn down French or Cartier to 70th,
>and cross Granville there. But it's a hassle, and sort of
>a capitulation, to have to detour. If you've been expecting
>somebody to mention 70th sooner or later, there it is,
>FWIisn'tW.

The worst for screwing up your timing there is the Airporter buses.

That corner certainly encourages folk cycling. The trick is figuring
out how to score style points while cutting counter-flow through
parking lots and onto a sidewalk to cross like a pedestrian. It might
be okay with the coaster-brake lady's bike but it's still an ugly
move. Whereas nailing a tightly timed left on the fixey is thing of
beauty.

Depending on where I'm going, sometimes I do use the back lane down to
70th. It's repaved and got about five new speed humps. So now you can
coast down that slope no hands faster than cars can travel. You just
listen to 'em bottoming-out behind you as they try to pass the bike.
--
zk

12-19-2003, 06:36 PM

Zoot Katz wrote:

>Depending on where I'm going, sometimes I do use the back lane down to
>70th. It's repaved and got about five new speed humps. So now you can
>coast down that slope no hands faster than cars can travel. You just
>listen to 'em bottoming-out behind you as they try to pass the bike.
>
One of life's little pleasures. Ego tripping with frustrated
egomaniacs.

Bernie

12-20-2003, 08:26 PM

In article <3FE3B5BE.7040107@mouse-potato.com>,
Bernie <bmcilvan@mouse-potato.com> writes:
>
>
> Zoot Katz wrote:
>
>>Depending on where I'm going, sometimes I do use the back lane down to
>>70th. It's repaved and got about five new speed humps. So now you can
>>coast down that slope no hands faster than cars can travel. You just
>>listen to 'em bottoming-out behind you as they try to pass the bike.
>>
> One of life's little pleasures. Ego tripping with frustrated
> egomaniacs.

It's often so easy to goad drivers into racing the cyclist,
and lure them over speed bumps they didn't notice in their
I've-gotta-be-ahead-mindedness. Make their DRLs blink.

Working pickup trucks are great; the stuff in the bed flies
up and falls back down with a startlingly resounding crash.

cheers,
Tom

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